The Origins of Petunia & Vernon Dursley - Harry Potter Explained

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we’ll be discussing how Vernon Dursley met Petunia Evans, and how the two of them eventually became Mr. and Mrs. Dursley—the widely disliked aunt and uncle of Harry Potter. As revealed by the memories of a dying Severus Snape, there was once a time when Petunia Evans and her younger sister, Lily, were actually quite close. In fact, it would seem that as a young girl Petunia had wished to become a witch just like Lily, and even went so far as to write to Headmaster Dumbledore to see if he could make an exception and allow her to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry despite the fact that she displayed no magical abilities. Unfortunately, it would seem that Dumbledore’s refusal—although delivered kindly—ignited feelings of incredible resentment within Petunia, which is likely what spurned her on towards a life in which she hated magic to the point that she tried to pretend it didn’t exist. Petunia was also openly resentful of the fact that her parents seemed delighted by the fact that her sister was a witch, which ultimately led to Petunia feeling such incredible dislike towards her sister, her family, and her home in Cokeworth, that she up and left in search of a much more ordinary life. It was around this time that Petunia met Vernon Dursley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices